WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 4, “The Choad Less Traveled,” now streaming on HBO Max.
In HBO’s Peacemaker, one of the most heartbreaking scenes played out when fans witnessed John Cena’s Chris breaking down over his problems. Chris was remembering the days with his mysterious older brother, Keith, and how his death left a lasting mark that he’s masked with a macho attitude ever since. However, given Chris’ trauma from The Suicide Squad and key hints in this show, the person who killed the sibling might be Chris himself.
Flashbacks showed the boys bonding over rock music but then fighting with people cheering on. The boy hit the deck, seemingly struck by someone and started frothing out the mouth. This was apparently the moment of death, although the assailant was never seen. But given how Chris’ dad, Auggie, hated Chris as an adult, making it clear he’ll never be as good or as loved as his brother, it felt like it was a response for Chris killing Keith.
And clues that back up this theory were dropped when the series showed Auggie watching on as a young Chris gutted a captive, salivating over how he had weaponized the boy. And with that being the case, it’s easy to see Auggie and his white supremacist friends running a sadistic fight club back in the day to see which kid was stronger. And being used like that might have pushed Chris to poison his brother using something from their dad’s arsenal, not realizing he would die.
It could also be that Keith just hit his head, going from a playful scrap to a lethal accident. This would explain why Auggie pushed Chris so much later on, as he didn’t want what happened to his first son to happen to his next. And if Auggie somehow blamed himself for letting the boys roughhouse, it would make sense why he proceeded to take out his self-loathing on Chris, knowing his son would shoulder the burden.
Either way, Keith’s death ties into why Rick Flag is haunting Chris’ memories. Just like he killed Keith, Peacemaker did the same to Rick, a brother-in-arms, to get Amanda Waller’s twisted approval on Corto Maltese. Rick manifesting is Chris’ conscience kicking in and reminding him how he’s let evil overlords control his life and take away his opportunities at having a family.
Chris trying to atone would also match why he can’t kill kids in the field despite his mantra. He likely sees both himself and Keith in those kids, young people just trying to find their place in the world without any real guidance to help them along the way.
To see how the show teases that Chris killed his own brother, Peacemaker is streaming now on HBO Max.
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